Wedge rope clamp



Feb. 24, 1953 BELPEDlo 2,629,155

WEDGE ROPE CLAMP Filed July 25, 1949 Snvcntor UEEY E11-112mm (Ittorneg iright in Fig. 1.

Patented Feb. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES` PATENT OFFICE WEDGE ROPE CLAMP J obby Belpedio, Bridgeport, Conn. Application July 23, 1949, Serial No. `106,387

'Ihe present invention relates to a gripping device for clothes lines and the like, and has for Van object to provide a device of this character of relatively simple construction which may be economically manufactured by mass production automatic machine methods. In particular it is proposed to provide a gripping device in which a Wedging member forming part of the device may be formed from a length of wire or strip stock .which may be bent into shape in an automatic wire or strip forming and bending machine. It is further proposed to provide a gripping member for cooperation with the wedging member, preferably formed of sheet metal stock, and which may be economically blanked out and formed to shape by automatic machinery.

While the invention is especially useful as a device for gripping and tightening clothes lines it will find many other uses, such for instance as a securing and tightening device for various guy or tie lines, halyards and shrouds for boats, etc.

With the above and other objects in view, einn bodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, and these embodiments will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be nally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the gripping device, according to one illustrated embodiment of the invention. n

Fig. 2 is an end elevation, as seen from the Fig. 3 is a top plan view. Fig. i isa side elevation showing the device secured to the end of a piece of rope and having a `V`length of rope engaged therewith, theparts be"- ing'v in position to allow the rop'e to vbe drawn therethrough in the direction indicated by the arrow.

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the device in itsl gripping position brought about by pulling upon the rope in the direction indicated by the arrow. Fig. 'is a side elevation, on a reduced scale, of

a modified form of the invention in which gripping means are provided for two ends of rope pulling in opposite directions.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 5 thereof, the gripping device, according to the illustrated exemplary embodiment of the invention shown therein, comprises a wedging body member, indicated generally as Ill, and an aperturede grippingniember 'cooperaltively engaged therewith, and indicated generally `as II.

The body member I0 is formed from a length of round wire stock bent to shape, and comprises an eye loop portion I2 Yformed by bending the wire into loop form at its central point, a horizontal base portion I3 formed by straight portions of the two wire legs extendingfrom the two converging sides of theeye loop I2 in contacting parallel relation with leach other, a vertical supporting portion I4 formed by bending the wire legs upwardly from the ends of the base portion I3, and an inclined wedging portion I5 formed by bending the ends of the wire legs in rearwardly and downwardly inclined relation with their terminal ends beveled, as at I6, and engaged with the upper surface of the base portion I3 at a point forwardly of the eye loop portion I2.

The wire stock is preferably of circular cross section, which results in providing a longitudinal lgroove I'I extending along the wedging portion I5 in Which the rope may t to align it with the wedging portion and to increase the holding effect of the clamp, as will presently more fully appear. The upper surfaces of the wedging portion I5 are preferably provided with a series of notches I8 also for the purpose of increasing the holding effect. The inclination of the wedging portion I5 is preferably about 20 with respect to the horizontal base portion I3, but it will be understood that this may be varied within permissible limits to obtain substantially the same holding effect in cooperation with the gripping member.

The gripping member II is preferably formed of sheet metal bent linto substantially U-shape channel formpcomprising a pair of spaced parallel side wing portions IS-IS, and upper and lower vertically spaced transverse face portions 2G and 2| connected between the upper and lower end portions of the wing portions, an opening 22 of generally rectangular shape being thus provided in which the wedging member is engaged. The wing portions I 9 slideably engage the sides of the base and wedging portions I3 and I5 of the wedging body member so that relative tilting of the gripping member is prevented. The upper edge of the opening 22 formed by the lower edge of the transverse face portion 20 is concavely curved, as at 23, to substantially conform tothe surface of the rope engaged with the device, this edge being sharply cut at a right angle to the face of the portion 20 and providing a relatively narrow sharp edged gripping structure, which will tightly press into and grip the rope without, however, cutting or damaging it. The lower end of the opening 22 is formed by a lip 24 bent inwardly from the upper edge of the lower transverse face portion 2|, and is conveXly curved to provide a rounded bearing surface for pivotal fulcrum engagement with the lower surface of the base portion I3 of the wedge member. The height of the opening 22 is preferably such that by turning the gripping member substantially 90 from its voperative position as seen in Fig. 2 it will slip over the eye loop I 2, thus eliminating any forming operation for the purpose of assembling the two parts of the device, the assembly being carried out simply by slipping the gripping member over the eye loop and turning it into its operative position as seen in Fig. 2. In this position the eye loop will retain thegrppngmember against disengagement in one direction, while it is retained against disengagement in theotherM direction due to the height of the wide end of the bodyl member beingI greaterthan the height. of

the opening 22.

In operation an end of rope, cable or the like 25 is engaged through the eye loop I 2 and is knotted, as at 26,- to secure the device to the end of the rope.- Another end of rope 21 is threaded through the opening between the upper inclined surface of the wedging portion I5 and the upper edge of the opening 22, the wingportions I9 providing convenient guide means for facilitating threading the rope through the opening. As the rope is pulled in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4 the gripping member I1 swings toward the right, thus increasing the spacebetween the wedging surface and the gripping edge 23 and enabling the rope to be pulled freely through the device. During this operation it will be seen that the rope is guided through its engagement in the groove I'I provided longitudinally along the wedging portion. Upon pulling the rope in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5 the gripping member swings to the left through fulcrum engagement of the lip 24 with the base portion I3 causing the edge 23 to press into gripping engagement with the upper surface of the rope thus compressing and clamping of the rope with respect to the wedging portion, this clamping action becoming greater as the pull is increasedand the gripping member is swung toward the wedging portion I5.

In Fig. 6 there is shown a modified form of the invention in which a wedging member, indicated generally as 2B, is formed vof 'a length of iiat rectangular cross-sectionv strip stock-bent into. two substantially triangularly shaped end loops 29 and'30, one loop'having an upper inclined wedging portion and the. other loop having a lower inclined portion. A pair of'grippingl members II-II are respectively engaged upon the two loop portions for engagement by rope end portions 3| and 32 which are gripped by the device by outward pulling in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows. The inclined wedging surfaces of the loop portions 29 and 30 are preferably transversely notched, as at 33 and 34, for

the purpose of increasing the gripping effect on the rope.

I have illustrated and described preferred and satisfactory embodiments of the invention, but it will be understood that changes may be made therein, within the spirit and scope thereof, as dened in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a gripping device for clothes lines, or the like, a wedge member consisting of a length of wire of circular cross-section and including an eye loop portion at one end constituting the central portion of said length of wire and a longitudinally disposed wedging portion of generally triangular shape diverging from said eye loop portion, one longitudinal side of which comprises a pair of longitudinal parallel contacting portions of said length of wire in lateral side-by-side relation extending from said eye loop portion, the other longitudinal side of which comprises another.- pair.. of. longitudinal parallel contacting portions of said length of wire in lateral side-byside'relation and connected to said one longitudinal side by a transverse connecting portion constituting the'wide end of 'said'wedgarsaid connecting portion comprising still another pair of parallel longitudinai contacting portions of 'said length of wire in side-by-side relation, said longitudinal sides constituting respectively la gripping part and a bearing part each having a longitudinal rope seating groove the sides of which consist of the divergent adjacent surfaces of the pairs of circular cross-section wire portions constituting said sides, and a gripping member having a rectangular opening slidahly engaged by said wedge member, one end of said opening having a transverseportion opposed to one of said longitudinal sides and the other end of said opening having a second transverse portionA opposed to the other of said longitudinal sides.

2. Theinvention as dened in claim l'further characterized in that said wedge member in"- cludes parallel side portions defining the sides of said opening, a transverse'portion connecting said side portions at one end and defining one end of said opening, and a transverse portion connecting said side portions at the other-end and vdefining the other end of said opening.

3. The invention as defined in claim lfurther characterized in that said eye loop portion is'of greater diameter than the width of said opening and of less diameter than the height of said openmg.

J OBBY BELPEDIO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe le of this patent:

UN I TEDS STATES PATENTS Number Name Date" 1,023,706' Andersonv Apr; 16, 1912 1,100,308 Jones June 16, 1914 1,368,545 Childers Feb. 15, 1921 1,389,859 Chronister Sept. 6, 1921 1,972,153 Mc Chesney Sept. 4, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1,836 Great Britain May 21, 1873 24,430 Sweden Sept. 16, 1907 200,551 Germany July 21, 1908 859,879 France Dec. 31, 1940 

